Ink conductor for fountain pens



NOV. 19, 1968 RQSLER ET AL INK CONDUCTOR FOR FOUNTAIN PENS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 29, 1966 LAM 3 5 my w o? M? Z Z 5 Nov. 19,1968 E. ROSLER ET AL 3,411,854

INK CONDUCTOR FOR FOUNTAIN PENS Filed April 29, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2172 ven lors:

United States Patent 3,411,854 INK CONDUCTOR FOR FOUNTAIN PENS ErnstRosier, Hamburg, and Konrad Kressel, Hamburg- Poppenbuttel, Germany,assignors t0 Montblanc-Simp G.m.b.H., Hamburg, Germany Filed Apr. 29,1966, Ser. No. 546,453 Claims priority, application Germany, Apr. 30,1965, M 65,069 6 Claims. (Cl. 401227) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An inkconductor for fountain pens with a control passage leading to an inkcontainer for passing ink and air in opposite direction, which isequipped with a longitudinal capillary connecting the control passagewith the pen and also equipped with a plurality of pockets formed bycapillary grooves and ribs communicating with the longitudinal capillarywhile a venting passage extends in the longitudinal direction throughthe pockets and has only its inner end in communication with thesurrounding pockets, the longitudinal capillary being located at thebottom side of the ink conductor and having its front end endingdiametrically opposite the pen and communicating with the inside surfaceof the latter through a capillary annular passage means.

The present invention relates to an ink conductor for fountain pens witha control path leading to an ink reservoir for passing ink and air inopposite directions. The said ink conductor is furthermore provided witha longitudinal capillary connecting the control path with the pen, andis also provided with an intercepting compartment system communicatingwith the longitudinal capillary and formed by capillary grooves andribs. Finally, the ink conductor is provided with a ventilating conduitwhich extends in the longitudinal direction through the interceptingcompartment system, said ventilating conduit having only its inner endin communication with the surrounding intercepting compartment system.

Ink conductors of the above mentioned type have the drawback that theink is guided to the pen substantially over a substantially rectilinearpath. With such a design, particularly when shaking the pen in axialdirection, and also when an over-pressure prevails in the ink container,an undesired dispensing of ink resulting in blobs may occur due to thereduction in the atmospheric pressure of the air. These undesiredproperties cannot be overcome in a satisfactory manner by the provisionof particularly large intercepting compartment systems.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide animproved ink conductor which will overcome the above mentioneddrawbacks.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved inkconductor which will have an increased safety against undue dispensingof ink at higher altitudes and will not be affected by Shaking or thelike.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an inkconductor as set forth in the preceding paragraphs, which will becharacterized by a particularly uniform dispensing of ink.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear moreclearly from the following specification in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an ink conductor according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 illustrtates an axial longitudinal section through the inkconductor of FIG. 1 built into the front part of a fountain pen.

Patented Nov. 19, 1968 FIGS. 3 to 9 respectively illustrate crosssections along the lines IIIIII IXIX of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are cross sections taken along the line XX and Xl-X[ ofFIG. 1 respectively.

An ink conductor according to the present invention is characterizedprimarily in that the longitudinal capillary ends at the bottom side ofthe ink conductor at a point located diametrically opposite to the penand at said point communicates through the intervention of a capillarygap with the inner side of the pen. Preferably, the longitudinalcapillary is arranged in a cross piece with ribs extending in adirection perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of said crosspiece. The transverse grooves between said ribs communicate with thelongitudinal capillary through arched capillary grooves. With thisdesign, ink may at any point of the longitudinal capillary be dischargedto the adjacent intercepting compartment system and may with the sameease be conveyed back if the tendency of the air pressure is in theopposite direction.

To permit a particular low price injection molding of the ink conductor,the ribs of the intercepting compartment system are provided at theirtop with a U-shaped recess so that a ventilating tube can be insertedinto the latter. The said tube is insertable with a snug fit into thefront part of the ink conductor which part is free of ribs and has acontinuous longitudinal bore.

In order to assure that in each position of the fountain pen a fast andsafe air pressure equalization will be effected to the ink container,according to a further feature of the present invention, the lasttransverse groove which is adjacent to the inner end of the ventilatingconduit communicates with the conduit leading from the longitudinalcapillary to the ink container through the intervention of an archedone-arm capillary with enlarged cross section.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the ink conductor shown in FIG.1 has its rear end provided with an annular collar 1 which serves forclamping the ink conductor into the front end of sleeve or casing 2.Collar 1 rests on a stepped surface 3 in sleeve 2. In order to assure afirm and hermetic closure, there is provided a correspondingly profiledsealing ring 4 which is pressed against the rear side of collar 1 bymeans of a central support 5 which is adapted to be screwed in. Theclamping part of the ink conductor which contains the annular collar 1may, as illustrated in FIG. 2, be so designed as to permit the insertionof an ink cartridge 6 or, if desired, may also be designed forconnection with a plunger system.

An ink conductor tongue 7 extends from collar 1 forwardly and continuesat the front end thereof and on the other side of the front annularcollar 8 in the form of a hollow cylindrical front part 9 the upper sideof which carries the pen 10. The front part 9 of the ink conductor ischanneled or chamfered and slanted in order to permit the customaryholding of the pen in writing position. The axial bore 11 provided inthe front part 9 is open to the external air and at its rear endaccommodates a ventilating tube 12 which is inserted with a snug fit andextends to a point in the vicinity of the rear collar 1. The ventilatingtube 12, as is evident from FIG. 2, is also open at its rear end and iscut obliquely.

As will be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, the front end of the fountain pen iscompletely sealed off with the exception of the ventilating conduit 11.Casing or sleeve 2 surrounds the front pOrtiOn 9 of the ink conductorwith a tight fit and also holds pen 10 in its correct position. The inkis conveyed to pen 10 by a longitudinal capillary 13 which within thezone of front portion 9 of the ink conductor terminates in an annulargap 14. According to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, gap 14is produced by giving the bore in casing 2 within the zone of gap 14 aslightly larger diameter than that part of the ink conductor which isadjacent thereto. The front deli-mination of gap 14 is formed by anannular step 15 in casing 2.

In the central portion of the ink conductor there is provided asupporting part in the :form of a web or cross piece 16 which hastransverse ribs 17 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said web16. Between said transverse ribs 17 are formed pockets or interceptingcompartments for receiving excess ink. To permit the manufacture of theink conductor by injection molding, the individual ribs 17 have aU-shaped recess (FIG. 2) adapted to receive a venting pipe 12. TheU-shaped recesses 27 decrease in depth toward the rear end of the inkconductor so that the venting pipe 12 will slightly ascent toward therear. The main path for the ink in the ink conductor is formed by thelongitudinal capillary 13 formed at the bottom side of web 16. As willbe seen from FIGS. 6 and 8, the said longitudinal capillary 13communicates with the individual intercepting compartments or pocketsbetween ribs 17 through the intervention of arc-shaped capillarypassages 19, 19'. These passages 19, 19' are arranged symmetrically onboth sides of the longitudinal capillary 13. The base of thelongitudinal capillary 13 has a somewhat larger cross section.

The longitudinal capillary 13 leads toward the rear through the web orcross piece 16 of the ink conductor shank and furthermore leads to acurved groove 20 which in its turn establishes communication to the inkchamber of the ink cartridge or the mechanical plunger system of thefountain pen, with whatever the pen may be equipped. At the end of thelongitudinal capillary 13 within section 18 and in the curved groove 20there is controlled the entry of air into the ink chamber and the flowof ink to the longitudinal groove 13. The communication between ventingpipe 12 and section 18 is established by the rearmost interceptingcompartment 21 of the ink conductor which compartment communicates withthe longitudinal capillary 13 within the range of the control passagethrough the intervention of a curved passage 22 (FIG. 9) of larger crosssection. This only unilaterally provided curved groove 20 establishesdirect communication to the atmosphere.

The ink conductor according to the invention operates as follows. To theextent to which the ink is used up in a writing operation, the capillarygroove 13 draws ink from the ink chamber through section 18 and curvedgroove 20. The slight under-pressure thus created in the ink chamber isbalanced or compensated for by the air which enters through the ventingpipe 12 and which through curved passage 22 reaches section 18 andpasses in counter flow through curved groove 20 into the ink chamber. Itwill be evident that the paths for ink and air up to the control passage18 are completely separate from each other. On the other side of section18, the air and the ink are again separated because the lower portion ofthe curved groove 20 (FIG. 11) widens out in order better to be able toreceive the back flowing air bubbles. The upper portion of curved groove20 forms a capillary and is filled only by the ink. When anover-pressure builds up in the ink container, for instance in view oftemperature influences or at high altitudes, the ink presses forwardlythrough the longitudinal capillary 13. However, at this point the inkcannot flow back as is the case with heretofore known fountain pensunder particularly unfavorable conditions, but is slowed down at gap 14and forced through the curved capillary slots 19, 19' to flow into theintercepting compartments 21 between the ribs 17. The air displaced bythe ink from the intercepting compartments escapes through venting pipe12 into the atmosphere. When during a writing process ink is withdrawn,the ink is first withdrawn from the intercepting compartments if thesame hold ink, each of said intercepting compartments being by itself incommunication with the longi tudinal capillary 13. Only when allintercepting compartments are empty, will the longitudinal capillary 13feed ink from the ink container. The control passage 18 will becomeactive and will supply as much air into the container as ink iswithdrawn therefrom.

The ink conductor and, more specifically, its intercept ing compartmentshave an unusually large volume. When all intercepting compartments arefilled with ink in view of a prevailing over-pressure, the ink can stillfill the venting pipe 12 before an undesired dripping of the ink willoccur. When the intercepting compartments of the ink conductor arefilled with ink, the ink will in any random position of the fountain penbe drawn back into the ink container as soon as the air pressure isbeing reduced, for instance by cooling. Furthermore, in any randomposition of the fountain pen, the ink can move back and forth in saidintercepting compartments of the ink conductor and can also do so in theink chamber when the air pressure changes.

When the fountain pen is carried upright in a pocket, between the inkconductor and the remaining ink in the container above the ink levelthere will prevail an air cushion, and if this air cushion is warmed upfurther, for instance by the body temperature, and will expand, the pathfor this air will be through the control passage 18 and the ventingpipe.

The assembly of the ink conductor is extremely simple. Due to the soleclamping of the annular collar 1 and also due to the fact that the inkconductor is guided in the casing 2 solely at the front end thereof,tears due to tension cannot appear in the front portion of the fountainpen.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by nomeans, limited to the particular design shown in the drawings but alsocomprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. An ink conductor for a fountain pen which comprises: a longitudinalbody adapted to be inserted into the housing of a fountain pen andhaving a front end and a rear end and also having a top side and abottom side, a pen supported by said bottom side at the front end ofsaid body, said top side being provided with capillary passage meansextending in the longitudinal direction of said body and ending short ofthe front end thereof diametrically opposite to said pen, annularpassage means connecting the front portion of said capillary passagemeans near said front end to that side of said pen which faces saidbody, the rear end of said body being provided with a control passagefor communication with an ink reservoir and with said capillary passagemeans, said longitudinal body also comprising a plurality of inkintercepting compartments arranged between said front end and said rearend of said body, and a ventilating conduit extending in thelongitudinal direction of said body through said compartments and havingone end portion adjacent said front end in communication with theatmosphere and having its other end portion in communication with saidcontrol passage, said other end portion only communicating with theadjacent ink intercepting compartments.

2. An ink conductor according to claim 1, in which said ink interceptingcompartments are formed by web means forming a part of said body andextending in the longitudinal direction between said front and said rearend and provided with partitions spaced from each other in thelongitudinal direction of said body and extending in a directiontransverse to the longitudinal direction of said web means, thoseportions of said web means which are located between adjacent transversepartitions defining arc-shaped capillary grooves communicating with saidcapillary passage means.

3. An ink conductor according to claim 1, in which said partitions areprovided with a substantially U-shaped recess open toward the top sideand accommodating said ventilating conduit.

4. An ink conductor according to claim 1, in which said front portion ofsaid longitudinal body is free from intercepting compartments formingpartitions and has a bore extending in the longitudinal direction ofsaid body and accommodating with snug fit said one end of saidventilating conduit.

5. An ink conductor according to claim 1, which includes arc-shapedcapillary means arranged in said rear end of said body and locatedunilaterally of said capillary passage means while establishingcommunication between the latter and that intercepting compartment whichis directly adjacent said other end of said ventilating conduit.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,512,004 6/1950 Wing 401-225 X2,619,070 11/1952 Baker 401225 X 2,987,044 6/1961 Young 401-227 LAWRENCECHARLES, Primary Examiner.

